Many years ago, our town did an annual scavenger hunt for prize money during the spring.  My family always played – but we never won… One of the clues was “you can’t drive 55″ and this indicated the road, and its speed limit (or what the speed limit  wasn’t!) that was at the entrance to the park where the prize was hidden.  Everyone knew immediately what road this was, because just past the park, the speed limit went up to 55 MPH.  Of course, that meant nothing to our city dwellers – including me – 55 happened WAY BEFORE the change in speed limit sign.

All my life, I have been a 55 MPH person prior to seeing the speed limit change sign… my thought process, ideas and implementation are usually put into practice before my friends, neighbors and colleagues are ready for them – before they see the sign that change is coming – which makes me a bull in a china cabinet.  BTW – I am one of those in the actual china cabinet as well- at least I am consistent.  I take life by the horns and RUN, checking off my list as I go. I am not certain I ever learned what it means to sit back and just BE.  Well, I am learning that now, and there are parts I like (I think because of my age and physical limitations) and parts I hate (because of my age and physical limitations)!  What I do love, is the opportunity to allow my thoughts a chance to process without the rush, the chance to put down my ideas on life without worrying what anyone else thinks and the chance to think ahead and not be penalized for thinking outside of the box.  Because, you know “the box” is where most of us are comfortable – I am the weirdo that likes to climb out of said box.

This has been most evident in my life as a Pastor’s wife.  Oh goodness – what a mess!  I fit absolutely NO definition of this unpaid and under appreciated position.  And the church wasted no time in letting me, and my husband, know this fact over the last 30 years. To be fair – it’s not their fault that I am what I am – what is their fault is that they were unable to find a way to incorporate folks who don’t fit their box into their ministry.  And there, my friends, lies one of the major problems of the organized church.  Is this new information – PFFFT – nope!  Been around for centuries – but when you are the one that doesn’t fit the box, AND you are the PW – eeeeeeekkkkkkkkk.  To say there were difficult time for me, and my husband, would be like saying “look out – the stove is hot!”.  What this has done for me, is avail me to many life experiences and a deep reservoir of laughter and pain to draw from as I head down life’s highway. Understand that there were many who loved me “just as I am” and I have many friends from this time in our lives – but the small, evangelical group I am associated with on a whole, was more than confused by what to do with me!

So – I begin this process of Blog writing – going 55 MPH in a 35 MPH zone and I expect I will write things you don’t like – oh well – it’s my blog!  Seriously though, feel free to dicker with me, I love a good solid argument – play the devil’s advocate – that is my claim to fame!  I love to “stretch” my thinking.  I can’t wait to see where this speedway takes me ( and now I will quit with the stupid highway references) and what I can learn from readers out there.

Please join the discussion, by double clicking the entry title – I would love to hear your thoughts.